‘He was in a horrendous condition’

James Willoughby

Emaciated and flea-ridden, a stricken German shepherd found helplessly tied to a tree is being nursed back to recovery by dog sanctuary SHAK after being rescued.

Dude, as he has been named, was found in a sorry state, with fur missing and suffering spinal problems.

Dude

The poorly pooch was taken in by Animal House Rescue, in Birmingham, which subsequently contacted Alnwick-based SHAK for help.

Having arrived in Northumberland at the start of the week, Dude is already showing signs of progress, thanks to the sanctuary’s love and care.

But there is still a way to go for this ‘lovable boy’, who will need medical treatment, and SHAK has appealed to people to help fund his recovery.

SHAK founder Stephen Wylie said: “Whenever I get a call from our good pal Lynn at Animal House Rescue, I know it’s going to be a sorry state and the dog I got called about on Saturday certainly fitted that bill.

Dude after being rescued.

“He was in a horrendous state – found emaciated, weighing just 27kg, tied to a tree and riddled with fleas, most of his fur was gone.

“Lynn and her team did a wonderful job and a trip to the vets confirmed his skin issues were solely down to a flea infestation. Medication was prescribed and the skin is already beginning to look better.

“His back-end doesn’t look the strongest so X-rays were taken and revealed he does have a few spinal issues that are probably degenerative.

“However, perhaps the biggest upset was watching how he reacted when taken into Lynn’s house. The Animal House is a foster-based rescue and doesn’t have kennels, and Dude – as he is currently named, but we may change it – really found it a difficult environment to live in. Hence the phone call to us.

“Dude arrived north on Monday and he has put on 2kgs and already he looks a lot brighter.

“But when we have taken him out on a walk, it is clear to see that he hasn’t seen a lot and he has a frantic scurry to try to get away from anything he finds strange.

“Still, he’s a lovable boy and seems to enjoy the company of humans, which is quite amazing considering what someone has done to him.